文艺【26】Thousands Celebrate Washington Capitals' Championship

Original littleflute 漂泊者乐园 2021-10-05

ARTS & CULTURE

Thousands Celebrate Washington Capitals' Championship

June 12, 2018

The NHL includes teams from the United States and Canada.

Many people left work early and waited for hours to see their favorite players drive in the parade. Many fans wore red Capitals’ clothing. Especially popular were shirts that displayed the name of the team captain, goalie Alexander Ovechkin.

Many people held signs that read: “Ovechkin for President.”

Thousands gathered at the National Mall to celebrate the Capitals Stanley Cup Win.

Speechless, truly unbelievable

The win last week was an emotional moment for many fans.

“I was speechless, I was just standing there in amazement.”

Jeff Jaeger is from Prince Frederick, Maryland. He spoke to VOA while celebrating the Caps’ win on the National Mall.

“I’m not going to lie, I was tearing up. This is truly unbelievable.”

Other fans shared similar reactions once they knew the Capitals were going to win the championship.

This has been the first time in the 44-year existence of the Capitals hockey team that they have won a Stanley Cup.

Dominic, from Gaithersburg, Maryland, has been playing youth hockey for six years and has been a fan of the Capitals his whole life.

“I was in a hotel room in Buffalo for a hockey tournament, and our friend six rooms next to us said he could hear me screaming.”

For Deborah Bailey, from York, Pennsylvania, celebrating their win was a family moment.

“My son and I were watching it together, we were jumping up and down. I think somebody would've thought that somebody was getting murdered in my place."

A curse is lifted

No professional sports team from D.C. has won a championship since the Washington Redskins football team won the Super Bowl in 1992.

For Dominic Sculla, from Bethesda, Maryland, the Caps' win presents a brighter future.

Washington D.C. celebrated their first ever Stanley Cup win with a parade on Tuesday.

“Finally… You know I’ve been waiting so long. I’ve played Hockey since I was a little boy, following the Caps forever. A city like D.C., is, some would say has been cursed for a while now. But the curse is lifted.”

For Lindsay and her friends from Chantilly, Virginia, the Capitals' win inspires city pride.

“We are the capital, we are supposed to have pride, and this just gives it to us, finally!”

Bringing people together

Fans of all ages and backgrounds talked about how the championship had brought the community together.

For Andrew Klink, from Maryland, the victory gives the D.C. community a chance to move beyond politics.

Many people were selling souvenirs of the Stanley Cup win on the day of the parade.

“I’ve been coming to games for 25 years… sport-wise we haven’t had a lot to celebrate recently, and we see other cities celebrating their championships and we want to bring everyone together and have something we can commonly celebrate, no politics or anything like that, just all good feelings.”

Jack and Olivia, who grew up as neighbors in D.C., rode their tandem bicycle around the National Mall to celebrate. They said the victory is positive news at a time when the D.C. community needs it.

“It brings D.C. together. Sports are something that, at least whether you’re like a fan that followed it all the way through, or just in the playoffs. It doesn't matter. It's an event that can bring the entire city together at a time where it’s kind of a little hectic right now.”

The players rode down Pennsylvania Avenue on buses during the parade.

“In a place where politics are so huge, who cares, we’re Cup champions,” said Jeff Jaeger.

Jaegar’s friend Rod Bird said he has only been so excited a few other times in his life: when he got married, and when his two children were born.

“And that’s it,” Bird said.

I’m Phil Dierking.

Phil Dierking reported this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

Do you think sports championships can bring people together? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

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